The Polish Rider
Encyclopedia
The Polish Rider is a 1655 painting of a man traveling on horseback through a murky landscape, now in the Frick Collection
in New York
. When the painting was bought by Henry Frick
in 1910, there was consensus that the work was by 17th-century Dutch
painter Rembrandt. However, this attribution has since been contested.
There has also been debate over whether the painting was intended as a portrait of a particular person, living or historical, and if so of whom, or if not, what it was intended to represent. The quality of the painting is generally agreed as is its slight air of mystery. Parts of the background are very sketchily painted or unfinished.
(RRP) suggested that characteristics of the work of Willem Drost
, a student of Rembrandt, could be observed in the painting. The Polish Rider is unlike Rembrandt's other work in several ways. In particular, Rembrandt rarely worked on equestrian paintings, the only other known equestrian portrait in Rembrandt's work being the Portrait of Frederick Rihel, 1663 (National Gallery
, London). A 1998 study published by the RRP concluded that another artist's hand, besides that of Rembrandt, was involved in the work. Rembrandt started the painting in 1655; however, he left it unfinished and it was probably completed by someone else.
Historical characters have also been suggested, ranging Old Testament David
through to The Prodigal Son
and Mongolian warrior Tamerlane, to Dutch medieval hero, Gijsbrecht IV of Amstel
. A “soldier of Christ”, an idealistic representation of mounted soldiers defending Eastern Europe against the Turks, or simply a foreign soldier have been suggested. The young rider appears to many people to face nameless danger in a bare mountainous landscape with a mysterious building, dark water and in the distance evidence of a fire.
In a 1793 letter to King Stanislaus Augustus of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
, Michal Oginski, then owner of the work, identified the rider in the painting as "a Cossack
on horseback", and the king himself recognized the subject as a Lisowczyk soldier. In 1944, the American Rembrandt scholar Julius Held contested the claim that the subject was Polish, stating that the rider's costume could be Hungarian. Two Polish scholars suggested in 1912 that the model for the portrait was in fact Rembrandt's son Titus
.
Frick Collection
The Frick Collection is an art museum located in Manhattan, New York City, United States.- History :It is housed in the former Henry Clay Frick House, which was designed by Thomas Hastings and constructed in 1913-1914. John Russell Pope altered and enlarged the building in the early 1930s to adapt...
in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. When the painting was bought by Henry Frick
Henry Frick
Henry Frick was a Whig member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.Henry Frick was born in Northumberland, Pennsylvania. He attended the public schools and apprenticed to a printer in Philadelphia. He served in the War of 1812...
in 1910, there was consensus that the work was by 17th-century Dutch
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
painter Rembrandt. However, this attribution has since been contested.
There has also been debate over whether the painting was intended as a portrait of a particular person, living or historical, and if so of whom, or if not, what it was intended to represent. The quality of the painting is generally agreed as is its slight air of mystery. Parts of the background are very sketchily painted or unfinished.
Attribution to Rembrandt
In 1984, Josua Bruyn, then a member of the Rembrandt Research ProjectRembrandt Research Project
The Rembrandt Research Project is an initiative of the Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek , which is the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research. Its purpose is to organize and categorize research on Rembrandt, with the aim of discovering new facts about this Dutch...
(RRP) suggested that characteristics of the work of Willem Drost
Willem Drost
Willem Drost was a Dutch Golden Age painter and printmaker of history paintings and portraits who died young.-Biography:...
, a student of Rembrandt, could be observed in the painting. The Polish Rider is unlike Rembrandt's other work in several ways. In particular, Rembrandt rarely worked on equestrian paintings, the only other known equestrian portrait in Rembrandt's work being the Portrait of Frederick Rihel, 1663 (National Gallery
National gallery
The National Gallery is an art gallery on Trafalgar Square, London, United Kingdom.National Gallery may also refer to:*Armenia: National Gallery of Armenia, Yerevan*Australia:**National Gallery of Australia, Canberra...
, London). A 1998 study published by the RRP concluded that another artist's hand, besides that of Rembrandt, was involved in the work. Rembrandt started the painting in 1655; however, he left it unfinished and it was probably completed by someone else.
Subject
The idealised, inscrutable character has encouraged various theories about who is represented, if the picture is a portrait. Candidates have included an ancestor of the Polish Oginski family, 18th-century owners of the painting and the Polish theologian, Jonasz Szlichtyng. There are contested claims that the outfit of the rider, the weapons and even the breed of horse are all Polish. Dutch equestrian portraits were infrequent in the 17th Century and traditionally showed a fashionably dressed rider on a well bred, spirited horse, as in Rembrandt's Frederick Rihel.Historical characters have also been suggested, ranging Old Testament David
David
David was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Hebrew Bible and, according to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, an ancestor of Jesus Christ through both Saint Joseph and Mary...
through to The Prodigal Son
Parable of the Prodigal Son
The Prodigal Son, also known as the Lost Son and the Prodigal Father, is one of the parables of Jesus. It appears in only one of the Canonical gospels of the New Testament. According to the Gospel of Luke a father extravagantly gives his sons their inheritance before he dies...
and Mongolian warrior Tamerlane, to Dutch medieval hero, Gijsbrecht IV of Amstel
Gijsbrecht IV of Amstel
Gijsbrecht IV of Amstel or Gijsbrecht IV van Amstel was a powerful lord in medieval Holland. His territory was the Heren van Amstel, and his son was Jan I.-Life:...
. A “soldier of Christ”, an idealistic representation of mounted soldiers defending Eastern Europe against the Turks, or simply a foreign soldier have been suggested. The young rider appears to many people to face nameless danger in a bare mountainous landscape with a mysterious building, dark water and in the distance evidence of a fire.
In a 1793 letter to King Stanislaus Augustus of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dualistic state of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch. It was the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th- and 17th‑century Europe with some and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century...
, Michal Oginski, then owner of the work, identified the rider in the painting as "a Cossack
Cossack
Cossacks are a group of predominantly East Slavic people who originally were members of democratic, semi-military communities in what is today Ukraine and Southern Russia inhabiting sparsely populated areas and islands in the lower Dnieper and Don basins and who played an important role in the...
on horseback", and the king himself recognized the subject as a Lisowczyk soldier. In 1944, the American Rembrandt scholar Julius Held contested the claim that the subject was Polish, stating that the rider's costume could be Hungarian. Two Polish scholars suggested in 1912 that the model for the portrait was in fact Rembrandt's son Titus
Titus van Rijn
Titus van Rijn was the fourth and only surviving child of Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn and Saskia van Uylenburgh...
.
Provenance
- Michał Kazimierz Oginski, 1791.
- Stanislaus II Augustus of Poland, Warsaw, 1793.
- Estate of Stanislaus.
- Countess Teresa Tyszkiewicz, 1813.
- Prince Ksawery Drucki-Lubecki, 1814.
- Count Hieronim Stroynowski, 1815.
- Senator Walerian Stroynowski.
- Countess Waleria Stroynowska Tarnowska, of Dzików, Galicia, 1834.
- Henry Frick, 1910, bequeathed to the Frick Collection.